Match-safe



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREELAND II. ROMANS, IVILLIAM A. ROMANS, AND SAMUEL IV. IIARMAN,

. OF BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS.

MATCH-SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,233, dated March31, 1896.

Application filed July 11, 1895- Serial No. 555,599. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that W6,FREELAND H. ROMANS, WILLIAM A. ROMANS, and SAMUEL W.HAR- MAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Bentonv-ille, inthe county of Benton and State of Arkansas, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Match-Safes; and we do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements inmatch-safes; and it has for its object the production of simple andefficient means whereby but one match may be obtained at a time.

It is well known that cigar-dealers, &c. are much annoyed and put to nota little expense by unprincipled persons helping themselves freely to alarge number of matches at one time, and the main object of ourinvention is to overcome this Waste, or at least reduce the same to aminimum.

In carrying out our invention we provide a box or casing having twointerior flanges or guideways adapted to support a slide or partitionwhich divides said casing into two chambers or compartments, the upperone of which is designed to contain the matches which rest on saidslide, the latter forming the bottom for said chamber. The slide orpartition projects through slots in the front and rear walls of thecasing and is provided with a longitudinal slot through which extends anarm which is designed to engage and raise the matches out of atransverse groove or recess in said slide. The matches fall into saidgroove one at a time during each operation of the slide or partition.Means are also provided by reason of which an alarm is sounded upon eachoperation of the slide or partition. The top chamber is provided with aremovable cover, which is pivoted between the side walls of the box orcasing and may be thrown back when it is desired to refill said chamber.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view.Fig. 2 is a side view showing the cover thrown back and the slide drawnout, said cover and slide being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is afront elevation. Fig. 4 is a view of the slide. Fig. 5 is a detail view.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a box or casing which is dividedinto upper and lower chambers to a by means of a slide or partition Bwhich rests on flangesa projecting from the interior faces of the sidewalls a of said box or casing. Slots a are formed in the front and rearwalls a a of the box or casing A, the slide or partition B beingprojected therethrough and adapted to move back and forth withoutinterference.

The slide or partition B forms the bottom of chamber a, and the same isprovided with a transverse groove or recess 17 in its upper surface,said groove being designed to receive a single match from said chamber aand retain the same during the forward movement of said slide. As saidslide reaches the for ward limit of its movement the match 0 in thegroove or recess b is raised out of its position in said groove by aspring-arm b secured to box or casing A, the upper end of saidspring-arm being passed through and adapted to work in a longitudinalslot b of said slide or partition. The forward movement of the latter islimited by a stop or lug b projecting from the under side thereof, saidstop being designed to engage the front and rear walls, respectively, ofthe box or casing in the alternate back-and-forth movement of saidslide, thereby limiting the play of the latter.

To the bottom (1 is secured a standard or post at, on which is mounted abell D, which is designed to be sounded each time the slide B is movedforward the full extent of its movement. This is accomplished by aspring-arm d which is secured to the bottom (1, the upper end of saidarm being in the line of travel of the lug b and is adapted to beengaged and moved forward by the latter. The said arm d is released fromengagement with said stop or lug before the slide or partition reachesthe forward limit of its movement and as soon as released flies back andstrikes the bell D.

For the purpose of convenience and increasing the efficiency of thedevice the cham-' her a may be provided with a hopper-like rear wall (Zand a glass-covered opening (Z having a small portion of its surfacecovered with some phosphorescent material to enable the match-safe to bereadily located in a dark room. A sheet of emery-paper or other roughsubstance (1 may be placed at the base of box or casing A for use inscratching the matches.

E is the cover for the box or receptacle, the same being provided with arear downwardlyprojeeting portion a, said latter portion being providedwith pivots or trunnions 6 projecting through the side walls of box A.This top is held locked in place by means of a lock 6 which is passedthrough the downwardlyprojecting portion 6 and provided with a hookportion e so arranged that it maybe turned by a handle portion 6 andcaused to engage "a staple e secured to the wall (1 The advantages andoperation of our improved match-safe are apparent. It will be readilyseen that but one match can be obtained therefrom at one time, and thewholesale waste of matches is thereby prevented. The same is also simpleand inexpensive and not liable to readily get out of order or becomederanged.

We claim as our invention 1. In a match-safe, a box or receptacle havinga rear hopper-like wall, a cover for said box or receptacle having arear downwardlyprojeeting portion pivotally connected to said box orreceptacle, a staple secured to said hopper-like wall, and a lockextended through the rear downwardly-projecting portion of said coverand having a hook portion adapted to engage said staple, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In a match-safe, abox or receptacle having a rear hopper-like wall, asliding bottom for said box or receptacle having a transverse groovetherein adapted to receive a single match, means for raising said matchout of said groove during the forward movement of said sliding bottom, acover for said box or receptacle having a rearward downwardlyextendedportion, pivot-rods or trunnions projecting from saiddownwardly-extended portion and engaging the side walls of said box orreceptacle, a staple secured to said hopperlike wall, and a hookextended through said cover and adapted to engage said staple,substantially as set forth.

3. In a match-safe, a box or casing having interior flanges, a slide orpartition resting on said flanges and adapted to divide said box oreasing into an upper and a lower chamber, said slide or partition beingprovided with a longitudinal slot and a transverse groove or recessadapted to receive a single match, a spring-arm secured to said box orcasing and working in said slot, and adapted to engage and raise saidmatch out of said groove, a stop or lug projecting from the under sideof said slide, a bell located in said lower chamber, a spring arm orclapper located adjacent thereto and adapted to be engaged and operatedby said stop or lug, a cover for said box or receptacle having a reardownwardlyextended portion pivoted to said box or easing, a staplesecured to the rear wall of said upper chamber, and a hook extendedthrough the rear extension of said cover and adapted to engage saidstaple, said hook being provided with an operating-handle, substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

FREELAND II. ROMANS. WILLIAM A. ROMANS. SAMUEL W. HARMAN.

Witnesses:

F. O. WILsEY, J. S. C. Rnnvns.

